


from the ashes love comes alive

by Menatiera



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ALL the comfort, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, December 16th, Established Relationship, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Pepper doesn't let Tony be an idiot, Pepperony - Freeform, Pepperony Gift Exchange 2018, Pepperony Secret Santa, Semi-descriptive smut, Shower Sex, So much comfort, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tony wants to give everything for Pepper, and now they can show it to the world too, bittersweet tone at first, facing loss and grief, past alcoholism (implied/referenced), they're perfect for each other okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 10:27:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17242592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Menatiera/pseuds/Menatiera
Summary: December 16th isn't an easy date for Tony, and Pepper is ready for the emotional turmoils. It turns out way better than she expected, and they're both in for a surprise.-----Gift forcanvasconstellationsin the Pepperony Secret Santa 2018!





	from the ashes love comes alive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CanvasConstellations](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanvasConstellations/gifts).



> [Canvascollections](http://canvasconstellations.tumblr.com/), I hope you'll like it! It has hurt/comfort and soulmarks! :)

_ Pepper wasn’t exactly concerned as December 16 _ _ th _ _ approached. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, of course. It never had been. But they’d been through this song and dance a few times already as PA and boss, so how different could it be as partners on every level? _

_ Well, not every level, but almost. And the soulmate ‘thing’ was so rare, a product of fables and fairy tales only, that it didn’t count at all. Pepper was more focused on real things than daydreams about some imaginary relationship standard. And December 16 _ _ th _ _ was a realistic obstacle, but really, she didn’t expect surprises. _

_ Turned out it could be very, very surprising. _

_ Because Tony was determined to make it different this time. _

***

They take three days off, her first vacation since she became CEO of Stark Industries. On the first evening, they sit on the couch, drinking wine and talking about silly and nonsensical things, about fond memories and funny movies and embarrassing situations they’d been in – nothing serious, nothing upsetting. 

As he caresses her skin, she asks out of the blue, her tongue just a bit heavy from the alcohol, “do you mind it?” as she traces her fingers along Tony’s skin.

“Mind what?”

Pepper gestures at herself, her skin unmarked, wrestling with words. It’s silly. It barely ever comes to her mind, so it’s probably the wine in her head.

Tony lunges forward and kisses her breathless. “I am the luckiest man to have you by my side, Pep, how could I mind anything?”

This isn’t really an answer to her question, this isn’t really what she meant, but it soothes any worries she might have, so she doesn’t ask again.

She stays the night – not for the first time, but it’s still new enough not to have lost all of its novelty – thinking she could go domestic once in her life and try to make breakfast for Tony in the morning, even though it promises disastrous results.

She doesn’t get the chance. She is coaxed awake by the scent of freshly brewed coffee, and she can’t help but groan at it as she turns to her other side, stretching and yawning, relaxed in the knowledge that she doesn’t have to go anywhere.

Her eyes snap open as the mattress dips, and Tony smirks at her with a tray in hands. “I made breakfast,” he says, almost sheepishly, placing the tray on the bedside table as she sits up, and she can’t help but smile and place a kiss on the tip of his nose.

His eyes are bloodshot, red-rimmed. Either he didn’t sleep, or was crying, or both. But he doesn’t mention any of those things, and Pepper knows better than anyone to respect his pride, so instead of calling him out, she turns her attention to the food, a mixture of her favorites – how did he even know what her favorites are? – pancakes with raspberry syrup and a chai tea latte. There’s also cereal and toast and coffee, but she ignores those, goes for the pancakes – her guilty pleasure! – and as the first bite basically melts in her mouth, she moans, pleased.

This eases the worried frown on his forehead, tucks a bright, bright smile on his lips, the kind of smile Pepper so rarely sees but loves with her full heart.

She leans forward and kisses him.

She kisses Tony like her life depends on it, slow and deep and languid, slides her tongue into his mouth, lets him taste the sweet syrup from it. His hands wander, up on her arms, caressing her collarbones that peek out from under her shirt, and Pepper smiles into their kiss at the gentle, almost tickling touch.

She pulls back to get a breather. “Too much?” he asks, worried, and she shakes her head and pulls him into another kiss.

“No,” she replies between pecking kisses on Tony’s lips. “Not at all.”

***

She feeds him bites of the breakfast he made, and secretly wishes to lay back down and just be lazy, but Tony is eager, thrumming with anxious energy as usual.

Pepper is among the few people who are able to keep up with him, this ability among the numerous reasons that solidified their good relationship back in the day. Tony is never still, never resting, just like Pepper herself, even though she learned to control and focus her energy better than Tony did.

But that’s, strangely, part of Tony’s charm, the constant shifting between hyperfocus and multitasking, never settling with anything. He’s all over the place always, fingers fidgeting with a project without a pause. He’s either too absorbed to keep mundane needs like food and sleep in mind or too enthusiastic to tone down his vibrations and aiming to revolutionize three different industries at once.

Pepper learned a long time ago to identify the signs, and right now Tony is in the strange and scarce transition between the two that never lasts long, going from the last week’s multitasking spree to a single most important task rapidly.

Only Pepper can’t pinpoint the focus of his attention. There aren’t holographic screens around when Tony grabs her arm and pulls her to her feet, grinning wildly. Jarvis doesn’t speak up to offer engineering specifics, and when she follows Tony with a soft smile on her lips, they aren’t heading to the workshop, Tony’s ultimate sanctuary.

Pepper was fully ready to spend the day there, but Tony acts like he’s completely forgotten about the date and what it means, no time for grief when he has to…

_ Oh, _ Pepper realizes belatedly,  _ she is the project. _

_ She is the object of the hyperfocus now. _

It isn’t… shocking, and not without precedent, but it’s still surprising.

***

The hours fly by. Tony has her favorite movies queued up, and they watch one; Tony makes her favorite snacks; Tony hired her favorite yoga instructor to come to the mansion and the three of them have a private session; Tony orders her favorite takeout sushi. Tony touches her at every given opportunity and often the not-given ones as well, creating the chance when it seems too long since their skin has met, tactile as always.

It takes a while until Pepper puts two and two together, identifying the coping mechanism for what it is. Sure, it’s better than previous years when she practically had to pry the empty bottles out of Tony’s hands, but her heart still aches as she realizes what’s going on. Her chest feels too tight as her heart swells.

Tony, her dear and kind Tony, perceived as the Golden Boy, labeled as selfish and arrogant, has never been what people assumed of him. He has never been selfish in his life; he leaned into the fame he was given, but never sought. It took a while for Pepper to figure this out, to puzzle through the contradictory images of her boss, her  _ boyfriend _ now, but she managed. And she found someone the complete opposite of what was on the labels.

Sure, Tony was weird, maybe even eccentric by normal standards, meaning he had his own ways to waddle through his life. Sure, Tony was wealthy, probably the epitome of it, but he was the farthest from snobbish or greedy. Those adjectives were understandable; she could even see why people would call him those. But  _ selfish _ ?

Tony was the opposite of selfish. He was caring, too caring most of the time, he put his heart into his everything, but mostly into his creations, and he offered them without much regard for his personal gain.

And right now, he has decided that the best coping mechanism would be to forget about himself and focus all of his attention on Pepper.

It’s unbelievably sweet of him.

And, though healthier than the previous ones, still not exactly a  _ good _ coping mechanism.

Pepper decides to intervene.

***

She doesn’t go harsh, aiming to coax Tony down from his high instead of dragging him. She smiles and nods and when he asks next time what she wants to do, she suggests the shooting range.

People usually don’t assume that she knows her way around weapons, despite her working for SI since her high school years, not to mention her upbringing’s happening mostly in Texas. But she knows and likes shooting: it’s just as calming of an activity as yoga, relaxing both mind and body in some ways. Tony has no objections, and they enjoy themselves: he has his repulsor gloves, and Pepper has her handguns, and all is fun and games. The targets are geometric shapes instead of humanoid forms: the mass of triangles and squares and spheres are more unpredictable and therefore more challenging than the standard, which they both need for the practice to be satisfactory.

After Pepper decides they had enough, she puts down the guns and takes the gloves away – Tony lets her, of course he lets her, his sole focus now is on pleasing Pepper – and then she pulls him closer.

For a brief second, Tony tenses up in the embrace as Pepper wraps her arms around him. She’s still a bit taller even without her usual heels. The moment passes, the surprise is gone, and Tony  _ melts.  _ He goes loose and relaxed in the embrace, wrapping his arms around Pepper as well, and huffs out a small laugh. “What did I do to deserve this?” he asks as he ducks his head lower, not entirely joking, and Pepper leans down to kiss the top of his head.

“Just because,” she answers and starts to lead him upstairs.

“Just because,” Tony repeats flatly, confused, and lets himself be led. “Who are you and what did you do to my Miss Potts.”

“You started to spoil me rotten—”

“Of course I did, it’s our vacation—” Tony tries to protest, but Pepper cuts it mercilessly.

“—so it’s my time to return the favor.”

Tony tries to protest. Pepper silences him with a kiss, a quick peck on his lips for now, but she does intend to do more very soon.

“Hush, Tony, and pretend you’re not a genius philanthropist but a normal human being who can enjoy when someone’s caring for them.”

But that’s the most challenging thing for Tony to do, especially in this state.

Pepper knows it’ll take him a while, but they have time: all the day and the following one, and her will is an equal match to Tony’s.

***

She leads him to the bathroom, opens the glass door of the luxurious shower, and looks back at him, her smirk getting a devilish edge, and she keeps eye contact the whole time as she opens the tap, checks the temperature – almost enchanting Tony to be rooted in his place by her gaze. He looks like a deer caught in headlights solely because Pepper decided to pin him down with a simple look, and she loves this, loves the effect she has on him.

She thinks about her plan for a moment – she’s no less calculating than him, and the price of her clothes, the possible shock of getting them wet, the look they’ll provide soaked all run through her head as pro and opposing arguments, making it an easy decision.

She backs into the shower stall, followed by the soft, surprised gasp of Tony. She beckons him closer, and he follows.

The steady beam of warm water indeed soaks them in a minute, but the clothes sticking to her skin aren’t uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. They embrace her, but not for long, because Tony’s fingers start to trail her body, slipping under the dress as well, and she answers just as enthusiastically, caressing his skin. He bites his lips as she scrapes her nails – perfectly manicured, perfectly sharp for this kind of job – on his back, and he kisses her like her lips are the last resort for a drowning man.

However, he pulls back after a while, and not only for a breath of air. “What about you?” he asks, and Pepper just blinks, confused. “Do you mind? Us not being…” Tony doesn’t meet her eyes as he talks, gesturing between the two of them, and it takes a minute for Pepper to remember her own question from yesterday. Of course Tony knew what she meant, only didn’t want to answer at the time. 

She shakes her head. “No,” she states, and she knows it’s true. She has many regrets, but this, them together, is not one of them. Damn fables and fairy tales anyway. “That’s not real. You are. I’ll choose  _ you  _ over that any day.”

She kisses him until they both forget about questions and insecurities, until nothing else matters, just lips and hands on skin.

She pulls his shirt off, he unzips her dress, and any conscious thoughts are lost for a while. Everything turns into a haze of touches, of kisses, of moans and sighs. She pushes him to the wall and pins him there, and scratches his whole body, and he turns her around and massages her breasts as he bites the soft flesh of her back, trailing kisses along her spine. She turns and seals her mouth on his, never satisfied by the number of their kisses, in a desperate hope to get his hunger for them sated now. 

They’ve shed all clothes at this point, Pepper isn’t sure when and how, too lost in sensations. They trail water drops over each other’s bodies as an endless task of worshipping the other, since new ones rain down on them constantly. The tiles behind her back are warmed by their heat, Tony’s arms framing her as he leans into the wall for better balance. The position makes her want to bite into his wrists.

His thrusts are long and slow, just the way she likes it best, a good and steady pace they can both go on for a long time. She pulls him as close as she can to feel his whole body over her, blocking out the water’s onslaught and warming her with body heat instead. Her right hand traces the edge of the reactor in his chest, and he winces at first, loses the rhythm, but then he relaxes again, goes as far as closing his eyes and focusing all his senses on how it feels to be inside her, her arm around, her fingers on his skin… Pepper knows him, it’s like she can read his mind in these moments. She knows all his sensitive spots, and she doesn’t shy away from using this knowledge, playing him like in a finely tuned instrument, strings pulled taut for the best sounds.

She loves his sounds, both literally and figuratively, his little gasps and moans, his labored breathing and the way he can’t keep himself under control as he’s closer to coming. She loves how attentive he is, how he learns a new trick of her body each time, how he applies the knowledge he already has, finding the spots that makes her melt or the ones that make her tense with anticipation. His long, talented fingers play with every part of her – her breasts, the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist that is oddly sensitive, her clit, the skin where her collarbone and her neck meets – to make her come undone, lose her composure until she can’t help but scream his name like a prayer, a litany. She loves to return the favor just as thoroughly, to nibble on his ears, to scrape his thighs, to play with his balls  – mixing pleasure with almost-pain with pleasure again.

Tony has admirable self-discipline, but Pepper knows him well, and it doesn’t take much until he comes into her with a yelp, a helpless little sound that she can’t help but treasure like a sweet secret, especially when after a few seconds of just resting his head on her chest and panting, Tony makes it his mission to make her come as well, and isn’t that nice. Soon Pepper can’t hold up her own weight, made boneless by the onslaught of continuous pleasure. Tony keeps her up though, so that’s okay too. She comes once and then a second time, rapidly, when Tony refuses to stop stimulating her oversensitive clit, when she isn’t able to keep her eyes open and the world turns into a shaking, gasping, shining mess of pleasure inside and out.

“Well, that was amazing. Did you like it, honey?” Tony comments, and she laughs and splashes water into his face, then kisses it from the tip of his nose.

***

They crash on the bed soon after, mostly dried and fully satisfied. Tony tries to hug her to his chest from behind, but Pepper stops him and turns towards him instead, brushing his still-wet hair from his forehead. “No, Tony,” she says as softly as she can, “you were wonderful today, but I want you to stop.”

He looks confused, eyebrows raised and glance questioning. “What did I do?”

She sighs, tries to find the right words. It’s not always easy – not with someone who has been taught from a very early age that words are to be weaponized too when it comes to him. “You’re trying to make this day about me instead of you,” she finally says, “but that’s not right, Tony.”

She figures blunt honesty should be the best strategy here, but instead of understanding it, he scrunches his nose, still confused. “What’s wrong with that.” It’s not even pitched as a question.

She presses her hips closer, but still leans away from him to be able to see his face. “Tony, you know what day it is.”

He goes rigid. She can almost feel as he turns physically cold, even though that’s probably just in her head, and his face closes off. Just like that: a book she’s unable to read now, written in the ancient language of guilt and pain and loss and regret. It’s not as if she’s unfamiliar with those feelings, she knows them just as intimately as he does, but Tony’s able to hide behind them like he hides behind his armor when he’s upset.

“I don’t care,” he says – too quick, too harsh to be even remotely true.

“Yes, honey, you do,” Pepper says, and kisses his cheek. She’s slow to move, not wanting to startle him, and his skin is soft under her lips, smells of their soap and the faint tint of his aftershave still. She can’t smell  _ him _ , not right now. “You always care.”

He bites his lower lip and looks away, and she has to turn his head back, nuzzling his face with her nose, until she can look him in the eye again.

“It’s not a bad thing, Tony.”

“It is,” he almost bites off the end of the words, body still stiff, and she can hear how tight his throat must be. This is not a public speech – this is raw and unpracticed and honest. “The old man would be ashamed of me.”

He stops, and she kisses his locked jaw a few times.

It might be cruel, but she wants him to talk – she knows how hard it is, has been on the other side of the confessions with him, so she knows by experience the cleansing effect of it, how much lighter she felt afterwards, how the past hurts stung less in the end, even though it was hard to waddle herself through the complicated, heavy emotions.

She wants the same relief for him. She wants him to feel better, lighter – she wants him to be able to breathe free of the past.

“Why would you think that?” she asks.

Tony’s hands are balled into fists, pulling on the sheets behind her back. She doesn’t glance there.

“Because Stark men are made of iron, according to him.” He grimaces, and Pepper almost winces as she remembers how he frowned at the headlines when the world first saw him in his superhero alias, how he became all thoughtful and didn’t look anyone in the eye for a while, until he visibly shook himself out of that mood.

Which wasn’t a mood, apparently. She never heard that saying – she came too late to actually know Howard and Maria Stark, heard only the stories of their grandeur, and their failings as well. She’s grateful she at least got to know the Jarvises for a brief time, who made her understand Tony better by sharing the stories that weren’t as glamorous as the ones the world knew.

“Tell me about him,” she nudges again, and it appears to be a mistake.

Tony scowls at her. “Why does it matter? He’s dead, no good for anyone anymore—” Tony yanks his hand in front of his mouth, as if he’s trying to physically stop the words from escaping.

“Was he a bad man, or just a bad father?” Pepper pushes further, not showing how uncertain she is about her own actions. It’s risky at best, but Tony had never talked about these things before, and she  _ knows _ how such secrets poison a person’s heart and mind alike. It’s a wonder Tony isn’t more affected than he already is.

But he is anxious and on edge already because of the shift; she’s not letting him to stick to his fixation of taking care of her, and instead she’s pushing the sensitive subject, so this question is enough for him to snap.

“What does that even matter?! He  _ was _ a shitty father, sure. He gave me everything that I could ever wish, except maybe a drop of his attention if reporters weren’t around, except just one little word of affection or a hint of praise after I’d worked my ass off to please him somehow! He always wanted  _ more _ , he always wanted  _ better _ and  _ faster _ and  _ harder _ , from everyone, he was selfish and cold! Would it hurt him to, don’t even know, maybe hug me or something? Of course not, but it would’ve been too weird, so no, that never happened! And in the end he did his usual selfish shit and killed my mom as well!”

He starts shouting, losing his temper, follows up in a pained whisper in the middle, but ends up angry, agitated again. His voice oscillates between complicated emotions Pepper can’t decipher fully, but she invoked them, she has to deal with them nonetheless. She doesn’t let go of Tony, holds him through the turbulences and she listens, storing every words in her memory, trying to engrave them deep. She wants to take them from Tony, wants the relief for him and the better understanding for herself. She wants to be able to anchor and help Tony as much as it is humanly possible.

Tony rambles, switching topics rapidly now, talking about his mother, who loved charity work more than the not-home they were living in, spent so much time with orphaned kids that she didn’t notice her own kid felt orphaned in the process. He talks about the Jarvises, how they meant the bright and warm spot in the cold house he had to grow up in. He gets back to his father, how much his only good memories of him became tainted as growing up he realized they were for cameras and SI promotional videos. Then his mother again, the soft lullabies and her handmade cards to send out each Christmas for people Tony didn’t like but had to pretend to anyway.

He spills everything without order, stammering through when his rage isn’t pushing him through the disturbing confessions and getting heated up again when his mind turns to new and infuriating directions again. Pepper holds him through it all. She doesn’t let go, doesn’t loosen her grip on him. She’s quiet, only encouraging him with kisses and nuzzles and half-formed encouragements when he’s about to stop, locking up her own reactions for a better time, deciding to be the support he needs instead.

“I didn’t even feel it at first. When they said he was dead, at first I was just  _ relieved _ that he wouldn’t bother me again. How awful is that? I heard that my father died and didn’t think of anything else but  _ myself _ at first…” Tony goes on, spilling words that have been poisoning him for who knows how long.

Finally he breaks down.

He’s talking about Ana when he starts sobbing, just quiet little hiccups at first, but it turns into sobbing soon, his words slurred together after a while as he tries to tell her more about Maria, about piano lessons and graduation dances and the empty void her death left in his chest.

He cries, and Pepper kisses the tears off of his face. He’s snotty and he’s shaking as the intensity of his outburst tears through his body. She stays close and steady, offering her unmoving loyalty as a counter-example to the betrayals in his life, being the anchor he needs to not get completely lost in grief and self-hatred and loss. 

She has her own tears, but she cries without her breathing changing, and Tony buries his face to her naked chest, nothing erotic in the movement, just a desperate need for closeness. She ruffles his hair on his nape with her fingertips and brushes her thumbs over his wet cheeks, tangles their legs together and pulls the blankets up further to hide from the cold and cruel word where soft genius boys are twisted to be bitter, where parents don’t always know how to love their children, where people die before their relationships could be untangled. She offers a nest of warmth and softness and hugs, where two lonely souls can cling to each other and heal together.

His breathing evens out slowly but surely. She doesn’t let him lift his face: she presses herself closer and burrows themselves deeper into the blankets. Her arms and chest itch, probably from keeping the same position for too long, but she ignores the slight discomfort in favor of the closeness. He squirms from time to time, positions himself better to ease the pressure from his chest, but he doesn’t try to move away either.

She knows, and she’s sure Tony is aware as well, that a barrier has been lifted up, moved from their way.

They fall asleep in each other’s arms, naked, content, relieved.

***

Pepper never expected this sight to greet her when she wakes up, but here they are.

This time she is the first to open her eyes, limbs still entangled with Tony’s, like they barely moved during the night – which isn’t true. While they fell asleep facing forward, during the night Tony turned around, and now is safely tucked into Pepper’s embrace, his back pressed to her chest. Her arm under him is numb, and she knows it’ll be itchy as hell when she moves it, but she doesn’t mind. She bends over to kiss Tony’s cheek while he’s sleeping, but freezes mid-motion as she takes in the sight.

Tony’s pale skin isn’t pale anymore. The blanket is not on high enough to hide it.

The ARC-reactor still sits in the middle of his chest, the blue shine of it reassuring as ever, but instead of scars, there are leaves and wires around. The skin is smooth, or at least it seems to be because Pepper can’t bear to lift her hand and check it, all she’s able to do is stare, to track the lines with her eyes. She wishes she knew more about botany, because she can’t identify what the leaves are, even though they are disturbingly realistic and detailed. So are the wires and the lines that resemble circuit boards: all tangled and impossible to separate, in a perfect harmony of nature and mechanics.

And there are birds. Pepper can identify a crow – no, a raven. The raven is in the middle of taking off, close to Tony’s left shoulder, stretching its wings apart. On the other side, barely visible from this angle, Pepper spots a hummingbird, drinking from the cup of a flower. On top of the ARC-reactor, however, there’s a nightingale, beak open as if in the middle of a song, the wings spread  _ down _ , touching the two sides of the reactor as in protection, the claws digging into the top edge as if lifting it up.

She works her arm out from under Tony’s head and sits up, leans over to see more, but is stopped short because now she has to look at herself too and…

She’s covered in colors too.

The ink under her skin is similar in base – she also has some leaves, and some wires, but mostly, she has feathers. Feathers cover her skin, playing hide and seek with the circuits, resting on branches and wirelines. It’s a strangely reassuring sight, like something that Pepper always knew were there, only unable to be seen until now. Right above her heart, there is… an ARC-reactor. Not one like Tony’s now, more like the first one she saw, circular instead of triangular, and it doesn’t shine, even though the color of it is so vivid it seems alive. Under the reactor, there’s a feline, curled up so only its ears peak out, tail wrapped around its body protectively, but the cat is calm, sleeping undisturbed by the whirlwind of feathers around.

There’s a tiger in her left shoulder, in the middle of a stretching, and there’s a snow leopard on her other shoulder, yawning as it sits.

Pepper strains her neck and glances back, and the images are covering her there too, feathers and branches and wires like a strange, futuristic jungle painted on her skin, and even though she can’t spot any more animals there, it doesn’t mean there really aren’t.

She pulls her legs up to her chest and hugs herself, resting her cheek on her knees, and looks at Tony’s still-sleeping frame again.

She knows what this is. Everyone knows, even though most people don’t believe it exist. And why would they? Tattoos,  _ soulmarks _ , appearing from one minute to another is exactly the thing everyone should take with a grain of salt, at least. Pepper and Tony never had been that romantic, and they never really… expected to get this. If someone claimed to have the soulmarks, Tony usually just commented how talented their tattoo artist must’ve been to make such an elaborate pattern.

But here is the proof. They didn’t tattoo themselves: they just went to sleep, and now Pepper is awake and they both have matching soulmarks. Ink under their skin that originates from the core of their true self, a representation of their soul mixed together, brought out to the surface by the most sincere and honest and deep connection between two people. The fables say only the purest of hearts, truly submitted to each other, are able to make the soulmarks appear.

Pepper sighs. Even if it’s true – and it’s definitely a nice theory, something that people inherently  _ want _ to believe in simply because it sates their deep hunger for true and untainted partnership and relationship – why now?

Then it suddenly hits her.

Tony crying openly in front of her. Tony confessing his truest regrets and hurt. Tony  _ opening up to her. _

It happened just last night, and maybe, just maybe, she remembers the itchy feeling she got at the end of it, not soon before falling asleep.

It was years ago that Pepper opened up to Tony and talked to him about all her fears, about her insecurities, about her shitty and complicated relationship with her family that ended with her not talking to them for years. Pepper handed herself over to Tony long time ago. But Tony always held a piece of himself back, always felt like he has to be strong, to keep himself together in front of Pepper. Up until this time, when he showed weakness, it wasn’t because he chose to be vulnerable. It wasn’t because he decided to allow Pepper to see him as he is, unashamed of the scars his past has left. 

This time, however, Tony finally left his armors behind.

God, Pepper loves him so much, feels her heart swelling, her chest tightening, her breath hitching.

She loves him, with the wounds he carries, with the baggage he has, with his kindness and his insecurities and his savior complex and his everything. She loves so much she can’t possibly contain it.

They’re soulmates. They have the proof of it on their skin now, impossible to deny, impossible to cover up or forget or question.

And they’ve been soulmates a long time, clearly, given the amount of skin the figures cover. Rumor has it the connection appears small at first and expands as the relationship grows, yet their whole torsos are covered in beautiful illustrations to begin with. How long has it been growing, invisible under their skin, hidden from every eye to appear overnight? Pepper's heart trembles with the love the mere thought shoots through her. She wonders how much it will change with time, how much it will grow in the future.

She loved him since she was first allowed to  _ see  _ him, truly  _ him _ instead of the masks, and she got to love him more and more as she got to know him more and more. And the feeling is mutual, no room for doubt now. They belong to each other as much as they belong to themselves. They might be able to live their lives alone, but they’ll always be better together, as they have been already.

Pepper smiles, unfolds herself. She burrows back next to Tony and starts to rain tiny kisses on his face. “Wake up, Tony, we got a good surprise,” she whispers.

Tony will love this even more than she does.

***

_ Pepper wasn’t concerned about December 16 _ _ th _ _ ever again. It was the date of a terrible event for Tony, marking a loss that never could be undone, but true to Tony’s nature, it became a source of joy as well. This was Tony, all over again: his greatest desperations turned into the greatest triumphs. His pain and loss and guilt locked him up for decades, but it wouldn’t be him to stay there forever, so he set himself free. _

_ And by doing so, he allowed himself to grow, to unite, to love. _

_ Just like it was always supposed to be. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story, feel free to visit me [on my tumblr](https://menatiera.tumblr.com) too! :)


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